Newsroom
Young Spaniards securing English standard for next generation
24 December
Spain’s increasing commitment to English language teaching in early education is contributing to high pass rates in basic level English tests – reported experts from Cambridge ESOL at a recent event at the Instituto Cervantes, Madrid.
The latest in the “Working with languages in Europe” series of seminars brought together nearly 100 professionals with an interest in multilingualism at the end of November. Experts gathered from national and local education authorities, educational organisations and universities from all over Spain.
Andrew Balch, an assessment specialist from Cambridge ESOL presented “Spanish learners of English – a European perspective”. There were also contributions from Professor Gisella Langé, Inspector of Foreign Languages of the Italian Ministry of Education, Professor Jesús Torres from the Universidad de Salamanca and a keynote speech from expert linguist David Graddol on the changing role of English in the world. Topics covered at the seminar looked at how Spanish learners compare with their counterparts in Europe and other parts of the world and discussions around language in Spanish schools, universities and businesses.
The event was hosted by the Instituto Cervantes at their Madrid headquarters and chaired by José Ramón Parrondo Rodríguez, Head of the Department of Language Testing.
